A New Family
by loveroffiction89
Summary: Sam and Dean Winchester have been hunting the supernatural all their lives. Vampires, leviathans, ghosts. Nothing surprises them anymore. Nothing. Except for when a girl claiming to be their sister suddenly shows up at their hotel.
1. Chapter 1

"I call the shower," Sam mumbled as he and Dean doggedly made their way into the hotel they'd inhabited for the last week.

"Fine. I call the booze." Dean replied, heading toward the mini fridge at the far side of the room. Quickly finishing his beer, Dean flopped onto the stiff mattress. This demon had been a real son of a bitch to find and an even harder one to put down. After a week of chasing lead after lead, they had finally managed to trap him while he was attempting to murder his next victim. The bastard had put up one hell of a fight but Sam was finally able to knife him with the dagger while the demon was focused on Dean. Of course, the boys were now sporting a whole new collection of scrapes and bruises, maybe even a cracked rib or two.

"Shower's all yours," Sam called as he stepped out of the steamy bathroom in his sweatpants, still moving a little stiffly despite the hot shower. Dean managed to pry himself off the bed but just as he reached the bathroom there was a soft knock at the door.

The boys looked at each other warily. Experience had taught them never to open the door unarmed so Dean grabbed his gun off the nightstand on his way over. As he cracked open the door, he saw a young woman. Kinda cute. Mid-twenties at the most. She looked harmless enough but Dean cautiously opened the door a little wider, the gun hidden just behind it.

"Yeah?" he asked, too exhausted and suspicious to feign politeness. He really hoped this wasn't another case or, at the worst, another demon hell bent on revenge for the last one they just executed. He and Sam were tough but even they needed a little rest before their next beating.

The girl didn't shy away from his surliness though. Instead, she squared her shoulders in resolve and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Are you Dean Winchester?" she enquired.

Dean glanced at Sam, who was standing behind him. Before he could reply, she asked, "And are you Sam Winchester?"

Dean was a little surprised that she knew both their names, though he didn't remember ever seeing her. Casually, he tried to notice anything about her appearance that would spark a memory. She was about 5'3", short blonde hair, medium build, and wearing cargo pants, an Aerosmith t-shirt, and converses. Nothing really jogged his memory but her eyes were his exact shade of hazel green and she had the same stubborn set to her jaw that Sam got sometimes when he decided to be completely unreasonable. Finished with his perusal, he answered, "That's us, sweetheart. Who are you?"

The girl slowly let out long breath, like she'd been half hoping and half afraid that was going to be his answer. "My name is Gwen Stevens. I'm your sister."

Gwen watched both of the boys' faces go from dumbfounded to absolutely floored. She had argued with herself outside for 15 minutes before finally knocking at the door. Nervously, she ran her fingers through her shoulder length blonde hair and said, "Look, I know you probably don't believe me and I don't blame you. But please give me a minute to explain and then, if you want, I'll be out of your hair."

She looked desperately from Dean to Sam, hoping that one of them would say something. Finally, Sam nudged Dean out of the way and opened the door. "Uh, come in," he said.

Before they could change their minds, Gwen hurriedly stepped inside. For months, she had practiced what she would say when she finally found them. Heck, she had even dreamed that they would believe her at once and they would be like one big happy family. However, now that she was here, she couldn't think of where to start or how to convince them that she was telling the truth. Maybe she should just walk right back out and pretend this whole thing had never happened. She'd been a hunter her entire life and she'd seen plenty of families ripped apart by death because of the dangers of this job. Maybe she was better off being alone. But the thought of spending the rest of her life, however short, alone was not a pleasant one. Remembering how long it took to finally find them and that she would forever hate herself if she didn't take this chance, she decided that she might as well see this through no matter what.

"So what makes you think you're our sister?" Dean, suddenly finding his voice, asked a little skeptically.

Gwen dug into one of the pockets on her black cargo pants and pulled out an old photo. She handed it to Dean and replied, "That's my mom, Brenda Stevens. The man that's with her I believe is John Winchester, our father."

Seeing recognition flash across their faces, Gwen continued, "About 25 years ago, John Winchester came to investigate a vampire problem in Salem. My aunt had been one of the victims and mom, being a journalist with a few connections, refused to believe that it was gang related. John caught my mom snooping around one of the crime scenes and, long story short, they ended up working together and hooked up before he left town. Mom's life was never the same as, nine months later I was born, and she decided to become a hunter. After learning what was really out there, she couldn't make herself go back to her day job. I'm sure you understand. Ever since I could walk, mom made sure I learned how to handle myself no matter what unearthly monster reared its ugly head."

When she paused to gauge their reactions to this part of her tale, Sam chimed in, "So how long have you known about Dean and me? What made you decide to look for us now? "

"I found out about you a few years back," Gwen answered. "You two were wanted fugitives, if I remember correctly. Mom had only ever told me about John, and even then I had to bug the crap out of her, and when I questioned her about your names, she finally told me that John had two sons. I don't know if you remember, but she said she met you briefly one night before the case was solved when John went back to grab some dead man's blood. I wanted to go find you then but mom refused. She insisted that you were better off not knowing about me and vice versa. 'John was already gone and never coming back, as far as I knew,' she had said. 'What would have been the point in telling him about you if he was never going to be around? I certainly wasn't going to tell you that you had two brothers who you were probably never going to meet.' Normally, I would have screwed it all and tried to find you anyway but when mom got cancer I couldn't abandon her. So I stayed. When mom died a few months ago, I decided that I was going to find you. I've spent the last 4 months tracking you down and, believe me, you guys don't make it easy!"

Finished, Gwen glanced from one to the other. Neither said anything but continued to look at each other as if trying to communicate through telepathy. Sensing that maybe she should give them some time and trying to crush the swarm of feelings that was welling up inside that was the fruit of having too much hope all these months, she softly said, "I know this is alot to take in and I realize you may not even want a sister, but I had to at least meet you once and tell you who I was. I'll be at the hotel down the street if you want to talk or something. "

With that, Gwen quietly left the room and headed back to her '68 Chevy Camaro. She refused to allow herself to think about anything until after she got back to her own hotel room. Instead, she blared some ACDC to help tune out her thoughts.

Once inside her room, she slumped against the door and put her head in her hands. She knew she might get rejected. That they probably wouldn't believe her or that they'd buck at the idea of John having a child by a woman who wasn't their mother. What she wasn't prepared for was the gut wrenching disappointment of being alone again. She'd hunted alone ever since her mom had become too sick to go and she could take care of herself just fine, but she was hoping that she could find a home and a family with Sam and Dean. Go hunting and have someone watch your back. Someone to hold the salt and matches while you desecrated another grave. She shouldn't have let herself get her hopes up.

Sighing, she decided she needed to just suck it up. So things didn't go her way. What else was new? Emotionally drained, she crawled into bed and tried to get some sleep.

_Boom. Boom. Boom._

Jerking upright, her bed hair all in her face, Gwen realized someone was banging on the door. After grabbing the knife she always kept under her pillow, she stood on tip toe to see through the peep hole. She couldn't believe what she saw! Flinging open the door, she gasped, "Dean? Sam? What are you doing here?"

Clearly amused at her chaotic appearance, Dean smiled crookedly and replied, "So, Sis, wanna grab some grub?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Dam it!" Gwen grumbled as she removed herself from the debris that used to be a coffee table. This ghost may be a teenager but she was certainly angry enough to be able to fling objects around at a mere whim. Apparently, that included Gwen.

Susan Harris had been your typical awkward teenage girl; a fact that the cheerleaders and other "popular" cliques never let her forget. She had been painfully thin, pale, had frizzy red hair, freckles, and thick glasses. After being bullied relentlessly for years, Susan had taken her own life and was now murdering all those who had tortured her in high school.

Sam and Dean were supposed to be salting and burning Susan's remains while Gwen kept an eye on head cheerleader Jenifer Gainer, one of the girls who made high school a living hell for Susan. Having constantly moved from place to place because her mom was a hunter, Gwen was in a different school every few weeks and knew all too well how cruel kids could be to someone who they deemed "unworthy." She hated bullying and thought the little punks deserved to be punished but murder was taking it a bit too far. With Jenifer cowering in the salt circle and Sam and Dean at the cemetery, Gwen was left to face Susan's wrath.

Luckily, she had landed near her shotgun where she had unceremoniously dropped it when Susan flung a chair at her a few moments before. When the raging spirit came at her again, Gwen quickly dived for the gun and fired rock salt right through Susan's middle, causing her to temporarily vanish.

"God, I hope the boys are almost finished," Gwen groans as she stands up, rubbing her neck. At that moment, Dean and Sam burst through the front door, followed by a stranger in a trench coat.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked worriedly. "We heard the gunshot as soon as we pulled up to the house."

Even though Gwen had only been hunting with the boys for a few months now, it still amazed her that they had made her feel right at home from the very beginning. Watching them together, no one would have ever guessed that they had only met a few short months ago. Smiling at Sam's brotherly concern, even though she was more than capable of handling a pissy teenage ghost, Gwen replied, "Oh I'm fine. Just getting tossed around by the dead. You know, all in a day's work."

"Wait. The mini bitch is still here?" Dean inquired. "We salted and torched her bones like 20 minutes ago. Nothing was left!"

"Well I don't know what to tell you because it sure seemed like Susan was the one who threw me into the coffee table." Gwen replied, gesturing to the pile of wood in the middle of the floor.

"She must still be connected with something. Maybe it's at her house?" Sam suggested. "We should go talk to her parents again. Where's Jennifer?"

"She's safe. I told her to stay in the salt circle when the temp. dropped." Gwen replied. Suddenly, Gwen glanced at the stranger in the trench coat and her heart leaped into her throat. _Holy crap! He is gorgeous!_ He had stood so still she had almost forgotten he was there but now she could hardly pry her eyes away. His steely blue eyes held hers; his expression was serious but also hinted at a worldly innocence. He didn't appear any older than Sam but something in those eyes suggested he was older than he seemed.

"Oh! Sorry." Sam said, while Dean chuckled suggestively. "Gwen, this is Castiel. Cas, this is our long-lost sister Gwen."

"Sister? Since when do you have a sister?" Cas inquired, looking from Sam to Dean for an explanation.

"It's a long story, man." Dean said as he moved toward the door. "We better get to Susan's house before she comes back. Hopefully, her parents will be able to help us out."

While in the Impala, Castiel could hardly keep himself from out-right staring at Gwen. Since spending so much time on Earth, he had come to find that staring tends to make humans uncomfortable so he contented himself with glancing at her out of the corner of his eye and hoped she wouldn't catch him. He never thought much about the Winchesters having siblings, other than Adam, but he supposed it made sense. Humans seemed to like their carnal activities.

He wasn't quite sure what it was about her that made him feel this way. By human standards, she wasn't what the locals would call "drop dead gorgeous" or "hot" but she was beautiful in a simple kind of way. Something about her, even in these few short minutes, had drawn him to her like a moth to a flame. It was an irresistible pull and he, Castiel, was powerless to it.

"So are you a hunter?" She inquired, abruptly looking at him.

"No. I'm an Angel of the Lord." He stated simply. He was slightly confused when she giggled. Had he said something funny? He would never be able to understand this language with all of its new phrases and underlying meanings.

When she looked at his straight face, she stopped and said skeptically, "Hold it. You're not kidding? You're an angel? A real angel?"

"Don't get too excited," Dean called sarcastically from the driver's seat. "Most angels are douche bags."

"I thought angels were supposed to be all helpful and crap?" Gwen asked incredulously.

"Don't believe everything you hear," Sam replied.

Before Cas had a chance to defend his reputation, Dean pulled in what used to be Susan's driveway and the three hunters quickly got out of the car, grabbed the shotguns and matches, and started toward the front door. Cas quickly followed. Not wasting any time, Sam knocked on the door which was soon answered by weary looking Mrs. Harris.

"Fathers? Is there something else you needed? Please, come in," She asked, looking a little confused as to why the two "Catholic priests" would visit again so soon and so late in the evening.

"Mrs. Harris, we're sorry to bother you but this is very important," Sam said as the four of them stepped inside. "We need to know if you have anything of Susan's that was particularly special to her. A piece of jewelry? A favorite toy from when she was a child? Anything?"

Before Mrs. Harris could answer, the temperature abruptly dropped. Suddenly, Susan appeared in front of them, rage plain on her face. She thrust her hands out and Cas, Gwen, Dean, and Sam were scattered about the room. Cracking his head firmly on the wall, Dean slumped to the floor and didn't move. Sam rushed to check on him but Susan flung him back toward the staircase.

Gwen fired the shotgun at Susan but this time, Susan was prepared and vanished before the salt could touch her. She quickly reappeared on the other side of the room. Standing, Sam yelled, "Mrs. Harris! What is it that's keeping Susan here?"

Snapping out of her trance like state at seeing her deceased daughter, Mrs. Harris answered, "She had a journal that she took everywhere. It never left her sight. It's upstairs in her room."

Turning, Sam dashed up the stairs. Luckily, Cas observed as he stood up, Susan was too distracted by Gwen shooting salt rounds at her to notice. Seeing Gwen had things under control for now, he stepped toward Dean but then he heard the sound of something being smashed against glass. He turned in time to see Gwen falling to the floor, pieces of a broken mirror showering around her. Apparently, Susan had gotten behind her and flung her into the large mirror on the opposite wall.

Susan was advancing fast, a murderous look in her eyes. The thought of losing Gwen so soon after meeting her filled Cas with dread and, fast as lightning, he was standing between Gwen and the furious ghost.

Dazed, Gwen could only watch as Susan came toward her. But then something else was in front of her. Her head clearing a little, she realized it was Cas. This stunning angel was protecting her? He just met her. Why would he want to help her? Dizziness gone, she stood up and pulled a knife out of her boot. Susan smiled cruelly but before Gwen or Cas had the chance to advance, Susan burst into flames and vanished. Sam must have finally found the journal.

Cas turned to look at her with what she assumed was a concerned expression. Smiling to let him know she was fine, she walked over to check on Dean, who was starting to groan with his hands on his head. Sam walked down the stairs and after doing their best to explain what had happened to Mrs. Harris and that she didn't need to worry anymore, they collected their weapons and walked out to the Impala. Stubbornly, Dean got into the driver's seat while Gwen and Cas climbed into the back. Gwen could feel the excitement bubbling up at the thought of getting to know Cas better but just then it was overcome by exhaustion from the lack of sleep they had gotten the past 3 days. Getting as comfortable as she could in the back seat, she leaned her head against the window and let the now familiar sway of the Impala ease her into sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Cas admired Gwen as she quickly dodged his punch. She was definitely getting better at anticipating his moves. Reacting, Gwen thrust her hand up toward his nose, which he avoided by leaning back and blocking with his right arm. "Good," he grunted quickly while attempting to wrench her arm behind her back but failing when she deftly twisted away.

The four of them had taken to sparring whenever they became bored or were between cases. It seemed like a decent way to pass the time, as well as keeping them all in shape. Although she was at least a good foot shorter than Dean and Sam, Gwen had little difficulty holding her own against her brothers and did fairly well against Castiel. Since the boys had gone out for food, Gwen had asked if he wanted to give it a go and Cas had happily obliged. She was definitely on her game today. Even though they had been going at it for a good 30 minutes, he hadn't gotten close to beating her yet.

Finally, about 10 minutes later, she let her guard slip and he seized his opportunity! Grabbing her wrists, he backed her against the wall that she had inadvertently gotten too close to and held her there. Covered in sweat with chests heaving from the exertion, they stared at each other. Gazing into her hazel green eyes, noticing how her already racing heartbeat picked up even more speed, Cas remembered the first time he met her a year ago, all the cases they'd gone on, the monsters they'd killed, and how much he had learned about her. She was more than just a hunter or the Winchesters' sister; she was caring, smart, and funny. He loved how stubborn and focused she could be when she was working a particularly difficult case and how she got lost in a world all her own when she was reading a book. Mostly, he just loved her. Faults, virtues, everything. In that moment, their faces inches apart, he forgot about Sam and Dean. Forgot that they could be back at any minute or how he would explain why he was pressing their sister up against the wall. Having her stare at him like this was too much. He closed the distance and firmly kissed her on the mouth.

Her mouth was soft and warm and… wait… Was she kissing him back? Slowly, he let go of her wrists and placed his hands on either side of her face. Feeling her hands slide into his hair, he deepened the kiss, releasing all the emotions he'd kept bottled up. Pulling away a second later, he searched her face. She seemed surprised but not angry. He hoped that was a good sign.

Suddenly, he heard the door to the bunker opening. As Sam and Dean stepped inside, Gwen and Cas, quickly stepping apart as they glanced at each other a little shyly, made their way to the front room to meet them. "Foods here!" Dean called.

"What took you guys so long?" Gwen asked, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Damn line. Seems like everyone wanted burgers at the same time," Dean replied grumpily before smiling brightly. "But we did stop for pie!"

"Forget the pie, Dean. We found another case," Sam said as he took his salad out of the bag.

"Where?" Cas inquired, trying to sound as nonchalant as Gwen had but instead feeling as if what had transpired was written all over his face. He hoped that wasn't the case. Now that his head was a little clearer, he remembered that his friends might not be thrilled that he was interested in Gwen and that kissing her before talking to them, or her for that matter, might not have been the best idea. He had very limited experience with these things as it was. The only woman he had slept with had tried to kill him the next morning and his only other resource was the pizza man. Neither very reliable for how to deal with this situation.

Emerging from his thoughts, he realized that Sam had answered his question. "Alma, Texas. People have been disappearing only to be discovered ripped to shreds outside of town. A couple was attacked over the weekend but the husband survived. He said he and his wife had been walking to the car after a movie when all of a sudden they heard a baby crying. Worried, they followed the sound. Right before they were attacked, they noticed a woman at the end of the alley who, apparently, changed into a giant bird and attacked them. It got his wife but he managed to escape."

"So they were attacked by Hawkgirl?" Dean joked around a mouth full of burger.

"Sounds like something mom and I came across once called a La Lechuza, or Witch Bird," Gwen interjected before Sam could comment on Dean's obsessive comic book reading. "After selling her soul to Satan in exchange for supernatural powers, a witch has the ability to transform into a 6 foot owl with the face of a woman at night and lures her victims to secluded areas by mimicking the sound of a crying baby."

"How did you guys kill it?" Sam questioned.

"You have to shoot it with pure salt while in owl form. Which, believe me, is not as easy as it sounds. The bitch we came across last time was extremely fast," she replied.

"Well, let's finish up and hit the road," Dean said while reaching for his second piece of pie.

_He kissed me! He actually kissed me! _

Smiling to herself, Gwen knew she should be more focused but this single thought had constantly popped into her head, followed by worrying about what it meant and if it would hurt the relationship the four of them had built the past year, while driving her '68 Camaro to Texas. Unfortunately, the Impala had been damaged by a very angry Spector last week and Dean was still working on her.

"Do we have to listen to this 30 Seconds to Mars crap?" Dean complained from the passenger seat.

"I'm sorry, what's the rule? Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cake hole?" Gwen smirked while looking over at Dean.

Sam chuckled from the backseat while Dean grumbled, "I just don't understand how someone who likes Metallica and ACDC could listen to this junk."

"Oh, lighten up. We're almost there," she teased affectionately.

Pulling into the latest victim's driveway, they decided that Dean and Cas would be the ones to question him while Sam and Gwen found a motel. After settling into the passenger seat, Sam glanced at Gwen and, as they were driving away, asked, "So what's up?"

"What are you talking about?" she responded slowly.

Amused, Sam said, "Come on, Gwen. You've been smiling to yourself pretty much all day when you think no one's looking. What happened?"

Trying to decide if she should confide in him, she peeked over at Sam. Looking at his expectant face, she sighed and before she could change her mind blurted, "Cas kissed me and now I don't know what to do. Was it just a heat of the moment thing or did it mean something? Are you and Dean going to flip out or be happy or is this going to ruin everything? I don't want to ruin your friendship so I'm kind of freak…."

"Gwen, Gwen, slow down! What happened? Cas kissed you?" Sam interrupted.

Taking a deep breath, she exhaled, "Yes."

"And are you glad he kissed you?" he continued.

A little confused by this question, she replied warily, "Well, yeah."

"Then I'm happy for you," Sam said smiling.

Shocked, Gwen looked quickly over at her brother. "You are? Really? This won't make things complicated between you guys? And what if it didn't mean anything to Cas? "

Chuckling, he answered, "I don't think so. You're our sister and Cas is our best friend. If both of you want this then Dean and I don't really have the right to say no. And I honestly don't think Cas would kiss you without it meaning something." He must have seen that she was having difficulty believing this because he added, "Maybe you should talk him about it."

Pulling up at a motel with a vacancy sign, she responded, "I don't know. Let's get this case over with and see what happens." Before he could say anything else, Gwen quickly hopped out of the car and into the motel to ask about a room.

Later that night, Cas and Dean wondered through their part of town waiting for any sign of the Witch Bird. Sam and Gwen were a few blocks away. After talking to the victim, they had learned that the attacks had been happening more frequently in the southern part of town so they had decided to split up.

Cas was hoping that he would be paired with Gwen so they could talk about earlier but now he thought maybe it was better that he and Dean were together so he could talk to him first. "Ummm, Dean. There's something I need to talk to you about," he said as he scanned the rooftops.

"Ok. Sure. What is it?" Dean asked, still alert for anything that sounded like a crying infant.

Before he could change his mind, Cas blurted, "I kissed Gwen today." Anxiously, he looked at Dean, hoping he wasn't about to get punched in the jaw.

Looking a little dazed, Dean stared at him for a minute. Then he broke into a wide grin and laughed. "It's about time, man!" Seeing the confused look on Cas's face, he said, "Dude, Sam and I aren't stupid. We've known for a long time that you've liked her. What did she do?"

"Well, I think she kissed me back. She didn't seem angry and I didn't get punched so is that good?" he inquired eagerly.

"I think that's a very good sign," Dean chuckled. As he slapped Cas on the back, they heard a horrible shrieking. It was coming from Gwen and Sam's end of town. Quickly, they raced in that direction.

"Sam, look out!" Gwen cried as she aimed her shotgun at the giant owl diving toward them. Barely dodging the sharp talons, Sam quickly rolled out of the way, firing his shotgun as he came back up. The plan had been that whichever group stumble upon the monster first would call the others. However, the damned owl had come upon them so fast that there hadn't been any time.

Firing her last round, Gwen reached into her pocket for more when suddenly she felt something painfully sharp pierce her right shoulder. Before she knew it, she was lifted up into the air. Ten feet. Twenty feet. Thirty feet. Her legs daggled far above the ground.

Quickly, she reached into her pocket, frantically searching for a salt round. If she could just get her gun loaded maybe she could shoot it out of the air. Finally, she felt her fingers close around the smooth metal. Moving as much as her clawed shoulder would allow, she loaded her shotgun, being extra careful not to drop it. Thinking it would be smarter not to shoot the bird so far from the ground, she swung the gun up with her good arm and bashed the creature in the face. This succeeded in distracting it enough that it dropped in altitude but she was still too far up. She swung again and again until at last she was about 15 feet from the ground. Pumping the shotgun, she aimed it at the monstrous owl's chest.

"Eat salt, bitch," she said as she fired. With a last screech, the owl dropped out of the sky and onto the ground. Gwen rolled as best she could but she was still covered in scrapes in addition to her injured shoulder.

Eyes closed, Gwen lay on the ground, not ready to move just yet. When she opened them, her eyes met Cas's concerned blue ones. "Gwen!" he exhaled as he grabbed her into a hug.

Resting her head on his shoulder, Gwen smiled and said, "I'm ok. Really. I've had worse." Before she could say anything else, Cas kissed her gently. When he pulled away, she smiled up at him. "But all of a sudden I'm feeling much better."

Grinning, Cas touched her forehead, healing all of her injuries. As he helped her up, Gwen heard Sam whistle and Dean yell, "Get a room, you two!"

Holding up her middle finger toward her brothers with one hand, Gwen beamed as she grasped Cas's tie with the other and kissed him once more.


	4. Chapter 4

_Finally!_ Gwen thought as Cas pushed her up against her bedroom door. After going out for two months, this was the first time they were going to get to do more than just make out, she hoped.

Finding the doorknob, she quickly locked the door. Cas shed his trench coat as she moved him toward the bed. Soon he was sitting up in her bed with Gwen straddling his lap. Kissing along his jawline, she removed his tie, one of his hands on her waist while the other pulled the hair tie out of her hair. Slowly, she unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his strong shoulders. Cas slid his hands under her shirt, dancing his fingers along her spine. As he left a trail of hot kisses down her neck, Gwen was sure she was going to die right there on the spot. Raising her arms, Gwen let him lift her shirt up and over her head revealing her black lace bra. She smiled as she heard Cas inhale sharply. Gently grabbing his face, she kissed him long and slow. Pulling back, she gazed into his bright blue eyes.

Cas gently brushed her hair out of her face and whispered, "Gwen, I…"

_Boom. Boom. Boom._

"Alright, love birds, wrap it up! We've got a case!" Dean yelled through the door.

As Dean chuckled his way down the hall, Gwen put her forehead on Cas's shoulder. "Damn it," she said breathlessly. "We'd better get down there before he comes back."

Cas nodded his agreement and she slipped unwillingly off his lap, giving him one last kiss. Pulling her shirt over her head as she walked toward the door, she turned around and glanced at Cas who was still sitting on the bed. "You coming?"

He looked at Gwen, his face a little flushed with embarrassment, and answered, "I'll be right there. I, uh, just need a minute."

Gwen slipped out and closed the door, grinning. Entering the front room, she went over to Dean and punched him solidly in the arm. "Ouch! What was that for?" he said rubbing his arm.

"That," she answered as she sat in her favorite chair, "was for being a giant dick. So, what's the next case?"

Cas absentmindedly ran his fingers through Gwen's hair. They'd been driving for hours and she had long since fallen asleep in his lap. Staring at her sleeping form, he sincerely wished they were back in her bed right now. At the moment, Sam had ducked inside a motel to see about a room. Coming out, he gave them a thumbs up. They had a room.

"Gwen. Gwen, we found a room," he whispered as he gently shook her shoulder. Getting out of the car, they stretched, trying to work out all of the travel kinks. Dean opened the Impala's trunk and they quickly grabbed their duffel bags as well as some silver blades and bullets for the werewolf they would be hunting. As they stepped inside, he heard a howl in the distance. They needed to work fast before anyone else got killed. Once inside, Dean passed out the silver bullets, Sam checked the guns, and Gwen stuck her favorite knife inside her boot. Cas perused the weapons before deciding to stick with his silver angel blade. Within a few minutes, they were back outside.

"Alright, guys," Sam said as they heard another howl. "Sounds like it's coming from our right. Let's try not to split up until we have too." He pointed toward what looked like a park.

Cautiously, they headed toward the park. All of a sudden they heard screaming. Without thinking, they dashed off toward the sound. Sam was the first to arrive at the body. They were too late. The body had been slashed almost beyond recognition; blood covered the snowy ground.

"Damn it!" Dean cursed as he ran his hand roughly through his hair. He hated casualties, especially the ones he thought he could have prevented.

"Guys, look at this," Gwen said as she knelt on the ground. She was motioning toward a massive paw print. "This doesn't look like any werewolf track that I've ever seen. It looks more like a…."

"Hellhound," Dean said, turning a little pale. None of them had had a good experience with the beasts but Dean hated them more than anyone after getting killed by one a few years back. "Oh great! How are we supposed to kill the son of a bitch? Cas is the only one with an angel blade"

"We'll have to track it down. Figure out who it's going after next and then I'll kill it," Cas replied. Gwen looked like she didn't care for the idea of him killing it by himself but as no one else could think of a better plan, she didn't say anything. Together, they went back to the motel to get some sleep.

It took them a better part of the next day to find out who the hellhound might be after next. Matt Jones had made a deal with a crossroads demon. With his business about to file for bankruptcy ten years ago, he was desperate but now it was time to pay up. Standing in a circle of salt, he asked, "Are you sure you can stop this thing?"

"We're going to try our best. As long as you stay in that circle, you should be ok," Gwen answered, trying to reassure him. The four of them stood around Matt, waiting for any sign of the hellhound.

Around midnight, they could hear the growling. It grew louder and louder until it was right outside the door. Then, all went strangely quiet. Dean, Gwen, and Sam pumped their shotguns. The guns wouldn't kill the creature but it might slow it down enough for Cas to stab it. All of a sudden, the window behind them burst! Glass showered down around them. Dean shot toward the window but the hellhound had already moved. Cas looked around the room for any kind of sign of where the demon dog was. Unexpectedly, something sharp raked across his chest, sending him flying across the room with blood soaking through his shirt.

"Cas!" Gwen screamed as she rushed over to him but before she got to him something grabbed her leg, making her fall. Gasping in pain, she was drug across the floor. Cas jumped up but Dean luckily was still on his feet and shot where he thought the hellhound should be. Fortunately, he was right and Gwen stopped sliding and stood up shakily, most of her weight on her left leg. Cas quickly glanced around the room and noticed that Matt was no longer in the circle.

"Cas! Fireplace!" Sam, who was now near the door with a huge bite mark on his arm and his gun laying near the salt circle, yelled and pointed.

Cas quickly turned toward the fireplace and saw Matt backed up against it as far as he could go. Because of the broken window, some snow had blown in and now he could clearly see the huge paw prints the hellhound left behind as it stalked toward Matt. Quickly, Cas rushed in Matt's direction, his angel blade drawn. Just as the paw prints were right in front of Matt, Cas brought his blade down on where he hoped was the creature's neck. He felt his blade sink in and the hellhound, giving a final painful yelp, slumped to floor as blood trickled onto the snow covered carpet.

Matt slid down the wall, shock and relief on his face. "Thank God," he whispered, putting his head in his hands.

Cas turned to see Sam helping Gwen limp toward him. As Dean went to the car to get a hex bag for Matt, Cas quickly healed them. "You got the rest of this?" Cas asked as he took Gwen's hand.

"Um, sure. Where are you two going?" Sam inquired.

Grinning, he replied, "We'll see you at the bunker." With that, he and Gwen vanished.

Arriving back in Gwen's room, Cas kissed her softly. "Not that I'm complaining," she started, " but why did we leave them behind?"

Cas beamed at her, "I thought maybe we could pick up where we left off."

Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her to her bed. His lips never left hers. Laying her down, Cas deftly removed his shirt. Feeling her hands run across his chest and onto his back, Cas kissed just below her ear. He ran his hands under her shirt, wanting these damn clothes out of the way. As if reading his mind, she removed her shirt and reached for the button on his pants. Gasping, he wriggled out of them before attacking her smooth stomach with light kisses. As she ran her fingers through his hair, she pulled him back up to her mouth. Slowly he unbuttoned her jeans and helped her out of them. Already breathing heavily, he took a minute to admire her. She lay underneath him staring up at him with those huge hazel eyes and just the sight of her nearly drove him mad. Sliding one hand around her waist and exploring her body with the other, Cas nibbled at her neck.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. As his kisses got lower, she arched her back a little. He glanced up at her and grinned wickedly.

Quicker than he would have thought possible, she had him on his back. "My turn," she said playfully. She kissed him passionately, working her way down his jaw and to his neck. Her hands were everywhere. In his hair. Squeezing his shoulders. Sliding down his chest. Slowly and tortuously, she kissed her way down his body, stopping just above his boxers. Now it was her turn to stop and grin up at him.

"God, you're cruel," he gasped but smirked as he quickly grabbed her and flipped her back underneath him. Sam and Dean wouldn't be home for hours. He had all night to play this game.


	5. Chapter 5

In her half asleep state, Gwen felt something squeeze her shoulders. Her head, normally on her fluffy pillows, rested on something smooth and solid. Managing to open her eyes slowly, she glanced up at her boyfriend. "Good morning," she smiled up at him.

Grinning back affectionately, Castiel replied, "Good morning. How did you sleep?" He started twisting a strand of her blonde hair, his blue eyes shining. He was so beautiful; Gwen couldn't believe he belonged to her.

Stretching, she found she was a little sore from last night's rambunctious activities but it was a good kind of sore. As she reached up to kiss him, Gwen answered, "I slept great. Want some coffee?"

Gwen slid out of bed and went to her dresser to find some decent clothes to put on. Just as she was heading for the door, she felt Cas grab her hand and pull her into his chest. Giggling, she looked up at him, "Yes?"

Castiel wound one arm around her waist as the other gently cupped her face. Gazing into her eyes, he whispered, "Gwen, I love you."

Her breath hitched in her throat. This was the first time Cas had told her that. Jumping up, she swung her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I love you, too," she beamed. Gently, Cas led her back to her bed.

A little while later, Gwen bounced happily into the kitchen, finally getting her coffee while Cas got dressed. As it started to perk, she turned on the news.

"Another body found in Kennedy, Alabama," the reporter said. "Twenty-two year old Cheryl Fares was found in her apartment last night where it appears she mysteriously suffocated. Police are ruling out foul play and claim this was a freak accident. Miss Fares is the third of these 'accidents' to happen in the small town just this past month…."

"You think it's a case?" Cas asked as he came up behind her with two steaming cups of coffee.

Brow furrowed, Gwen looked at him, "Maybe. Couldn't hurt to check it out. I'll call Sam and Dean and let them know where we're going." Going back to her room, Gwen grabbed her cellphone off the night stand and dialed Sam's number.

"Gwen?" Sam picked up. "What's up?"

"I think Cas and I found a case in Alabama. We're going to grab some stuff and head out there," Gwen replied, already shoving things into a duffel bag.

"Does she want us to meet her down there?" she heard Dean's voice in the background.

Amused, she answered, "No, you guys need to come home and rest up. Cas and I will be fine. I did hunt on my own before you two chuckle heads, you know."

"No banging on the job," she heard Dean chuckle loudly.

"Oh shut up!" She laughed as she hung up her phone.

Climbing through an unlocked window, Cas and Gwen quietly snuck into Cheryl Fares house. The cops had already been here but they weren't exactly looking for the same things. Quietly, they crept through the house. Cas took his flashlight and went toward the bathroom. After startling himself in the mirror, he shown the light around. Nothing looked out of the ordinary as far as he could tell. Taking one last glance, he was about to leave the room when he noticed something sticking out of a bowl of bath soaps. Upon further inspection, he found that it was a hex bag. A witch.

Turning to show the bag to Gwen, he heard a loud crash. "Gwen?" Quickly, he raced toward the living room. He turned on a lamp and almost laughed at what he saw. Gwen was straddling a very large man, her knife at his throat.

"Justin?" she said incredulously as she quickly hopped off the stranger.

_Justin? Who's Justin?_

Standing up, the man replied, a smile spreading across his face, "Gwen? What are you doing here?"

"We're working a case here. I assume you're doing the same," she answered as she gave him a quick hug.

"We?" He glanced around the room, his eyes stopping on Cas as if noticing him for the first time.

"Yeah. Justin, this is my boyfriend Cas. Cas, this is my friend Justin Garnes," she said.

"Oh nice to meet you," Justin stuck out his hand, waiting for Cas to shake it. Cas grabbed his hand, maybe a little more firmly than was necessary. He was a shorter than Cas but a bit more muscular. "Well, would you guys like some help?"

"Sure…." Gwen started.

"Thanks, but I think we got it," Cas interrupted, holding out the hex bag. "Looks like a witch."

Looking at the hex bag, Justin said, "Yeah, makes sense. All three of the victims are rumored to have slept with the same guy, who happens to be getting divorced because of his indiscretions. Maybe his wife decided to cook up her own vengeance and with the three lovers out of the way, the only one left is her husband. Hey, have you guys found a hotel yet? We can go check in and question the lovely Mrs. Talbot tomorrow?"

Before Cas could refuse, Gwen replied, "Yeah that sounds great. Let's go."

About an hour later, Cas was sitting on the hotel bed with his arms crossed. He wasn't sure what this feeling he had toward Justin was but he knew it wasn't good. Every time he looked at Gwen, Cas could see his eyes light up and he wanted to punch him in the nose. Maybe if he broke Justin's nose, he wouldn't stare at Gwen when he thought neither of them was looking.

At that moment, Gwen immerged out of the bathroom, her hair all wet and wearing an oversized t-shirt. God, she was gorgeous. The sight of her made him temporarily forget about Justin. Hopping on the bed, she glanced up him. "Why the sour face, sweetie?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about the case," he lied quickly. Judging by the look on her face, she didn't believe him but she didn't push him either. Instead, she reached up and kissed him gently.

"I love you," she whispered and then she snuggled down against him.

"I love you, too," he replied as he kissed the top of her head. Within minutes, he could hear her breathing change and knew she had fallen asleep. Just as he got comfortable, Cas heard a knock at the door.

Not wanting to wake Gwen, he easily laid her down and slipped out bed. He advanced to the door with caution, just in case. Cracking open the door, he could see it was Justin. _What could he want? _Cas held back a groan and opened the door.

"Oh. Cas. I was just wondering if you guys were hungry," Justin said as he peeked around Cas and noticed Gwen's sleeping form. "Guess not. She's already out, huh?" he said as he maneuvered inside.

_Sure. Come on in. _"Uh, yeah. We've had a busy few days. We just took care of a hellhound in Boston," he said a little smugly.

Justin continued to stare at Gwen, which did nothing to ease Cas's earlier urge to punch him in the nose. Turning back to Cas, he said, "You know, you're a lucky guy. Don't ever let her go. Trust me. I made that mistake once and I'm still paying for it."

Cas cocked his head at Justin. "What do you mean?" he asked a little warily, not sure if he wanted to know the answer but was too curious not to ask.

"Gwen and I dated for a while back in the day," he replied. "I made the mistake of cheating on her and she left me, rightfully so. We've become good friends since then but I haven't been able to win her back yet."

Assuming from the way his eyes expanded, Cas guessed that Justin hadn't meant to say that last part. It was probably a very good thing that Justin excused himself just then because Castiel really didn't think he could hold that punch back any longer.

While Justin interrogated the soon to be ex-Mrs. Talbot, Gwen and Cas snooped through her house looking for anything that would prove she was a witch. Stepping into her closet, Gwen noticed a box on the top shelf. Setting it on the floor, she opened it up. Sure enough, inside was a spell book with a bookmarked page on hexes. "Gotcha," Gwen said as she put the book in her bag and placed the box back where it belonged.

Afterward, she and Cas went back to Justin's car to wait for him. As soon as he shut the door, Cas looked over at her and said, "You didn't tell me that you dated Justin."

"What?" she said a little surprised. "How do you know that?"

Cas observed his hands curled up in his lap before taking a deep breath and looking back to her eyes, "Justin came by our room last night while you were asleep. He mentioned that you used to date and that he's tried ever since to get you back."

Seeing the worried expression on his face, Gwen took his hand. "Yes. We used to date. I didn't mention it because I didn't think it was important. It's over and I am not ever going to go back to him. I love you." With that, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "No need to be jealous," she smiled.

Cas smiled back at her. He trusted Gwen but Justin was another story. Just then, Mr. Muscles opened the door. "So, that is one seriously pissed off lady. Did you guys find anything?"

Leaning back, Gwen answered, "Yeah, we found a spell book. We better get over to Mr. Talbot's apartment."

They arrived at Aaron Talbot's new apartment just in time. He was already starting to choke on his own blood. Scattering about the apartment, the three of them searched as fast as they could for the hex bag. It was Cas who found it under the couch and swiftly destroyed it.

All of a sudden, they heard a voice coming from the front door. "Now why did you have to do that?" said Mrs. Talbot too sweetly. "If you just would have let him die, this all would have been over with. Now none of you can leave here alive."

"Cas! Get him out of here!" Gwen yelled before Mrs. Talbot could turn back to her husband. Quickly, Cas touched the unconscious Mr. Talbot and they both vanished. Gwen and Justin drew their knives and they both circled the witch.

Thrusting out her hands, Mrs. Talbot threw the hunters across the room and against the walls. Justin was the first one up and he charged toward her, knife raised. Turning, Mrs. Talbot focused all her attention and energy on him. Lifting him up by pure energy, she began chanting a spell. All of a sudden, Justin's hands clutched at his throat as if he couldn't breathe.

"You couldn't stay out of it, could you?" She said menacingly. "All you men, you're all the same. Spouting promises of love and devotion until the next young piece of ass comes along. Then you forget about the women you claimed to have loved!" Justin's eyes were starting to roll back in his head. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be thrown away? To have someone break your heart and not even care?"

Just then, Mrs. Talbot jerked involuntarily. As Justin dropped to the ground gasping for breath, he glanced up to see the witch fall forward. Gwen stood behind her, her knife bloody. "Yeah, but I sure as hell didn't kill anyone over it," she said. "Justin, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm good," he answered hoarsely, standing up. "Just like old times, huh?"

Laughing, Gwen cleaned her knife and put it back in her boot. "As I recall, I was always saving your ass so, yes, it is just like old times." Standing back up, Gwen hadn't realized how close Justin had gotten to her.

"Gwen," he whispered, his face inches from hers. Before she knew what was happening, Justin kissed her roughly, his arms crushing her to him. She wriggled her hands onto his chest and tried to push him off of her but he wouldn't let go. When he finally let her loose, she pulled her fist back and punched him as hard as she could right in the nose. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she yelled.

Holding his bleeding nose, Justin groaned. Doing his best to sound normal, he said, "Please come with me. Tonight just shows that it can be just like it used to be. We can save people together. I made a mistake but that was years ago. I've told you I'm sorry a thousand different ways, a thousand different times. I still love you, Gwen. Please."

"I'm going to say that's the lack of oxygen to your brain talking." Sighing, Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just go, Justin. I'll clean up the mess. Just leave." Sensing he was about to say something else, Gwen glared at him. He quickly shut his mouth and slipped out of the apartment.

Cas couldn't help but chuckle. Gwen spun around and then she noticed him leaning against the kitchen door frame. "How long have you been there?" she asked.

"Long enough," he replied, smiling crookedly as he walked toward her. "You've got a very good right arm. Remind me not to make you angry."

Smiling, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Tilting her chin up so that she was looking at him, Cas bent down and kissed this wonderful woman who was his girlfriend. "Come on. Let's clean this up so we can go home."


	6. Chapter 6

"Ouch!" Gwen said through gritted teeth as Dean examined a particularly nasty gash on her forehead. She hated shapeshifters. They'd tracked this one all through Dallas, had finally caught up with it, and the son of a bitch escaped; but not before giving her and Dean a pretty good beating.

"It's gonna need stitches," Dean stated matter-of-factly. "Hopefully, the shapeshifter ran into them on his way out and they were able to shank the bastard." Gathering their weapons, they quickly walked in the direction the shapeshifter had run. Just as they reached the end of the alley, Sam and Cas came around the corner.

Seeing that both of them were perfectly fine, Gwen retorted, "I'll take that as a negative. We couldn't get that lucky."

"I guess you guys found the shapeshifter?" Sam inquired as they got closer. "Did you kill it?"

"Oh we found it alright," Dean answered, holding his dislocated shoulder close to his body. "However, instead of dying quietly, it decided to fight back and run." Dean gasped a little as Cas touched his shoulder, healing it.

Moving over to take care of Gwen's gash, he asked, "Did you see which way it went?"

"Back up 24th Street, I think. Dean managed to cut its side before it escaped so we've been following the little blood trail it left for us."

With that, the four of them followed the trail as far as they could and found themselves in front of a bar.

"The Midnight Club. Think it went in?" Gwen inquired, staring up at the neon sign.

"Possible," Cas answered as he started down the small dead-end backstreet next to the building. Stopping near the side door, he gestured for them to follow him. As they neared, Cas pointed to a pile of goo near the door. "Does that answer your question?"

"Gross," Gwen said, sticking her tongue out in disgust as she opened the door. She wasn't sure but she could've sworn that Cas chuckled as he walked passed her and into the club. Cocking an eyebrow questionably, she followed her brothers and boyfriend.

Inside, the club was just how you would expect it to be. Loud. Very, very loud with male and female bodies gyrating on the dance floor or lined up along the bar. Normally, Gwen would've grabbed Cas's hand and drug him to the dance floor, Cas trying to dance was not something anyone wanted to miss. Unfortunately, the case came first.

"Now what? How are we going to find him with all these people in here?" she yelled toward Sam. Even with him right next to her, Gwen still wasn't sure if he heard her until he pulled out his cell phone and pointed at the camera lens. Holding it up, he slowly swept it across the crowd and then pointed to his eyes.

Nodding, Gwen let him know she understood and pulled out her own phone. The only thing they could really do was use their cameras to scan the massive crowd and watch for anyone's eyes to flare. Simple enough. Cell phones in hand, the four of them split up and made their way around the room.

Cas held his cell phone out in front of him. Luckily, he had remembered how to turn on the camera. Looking for any sign of eye flare as he scanned the room, he smiled a little as he remembered how Gwen reacted to the sludge by the side door. She had been a hunter all her life, had seen countless monsters and other unnatural things, but it was the shapeshifter gunk that grossed her out. He chuckled before focusing on the task at hand again.

"Hello, Castiel," a smooth voice behind him said.

Spinning around, Cas immediately recognized the face the voice belonged to. "Inias. What are you doing here?" he inquired, surprised to see one of the angels who used to be in his garrison. That seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I've come to warn you, Castiel," Inias replied simply. "Rogziel is searching for you. He knows about you and the human."

Castiel's heart dropped to his stomach. This couldn't be happening. He and Gwen had been together for ten months and they had never come across another angel until now. How had Rogziel found out about them? Trying to keep his voice calm and aloof, he asked, "Are you sure? How does he know?"

Shrugging, Inias answered, "I'm not sure. I happened across him a few weeks ago and he mentioned he was looking for you. Said you were having relations with a human and that you needed to be found. I decided to find you first and warn you. It took me this long to track you down so I'm sure he doesn't know where you are yet."

After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Cas looked at the other angel, "Thank you for the warning, Inias. I'll take care of it."

Nodding, Inias vanished, leaving Cas once again in the middle of the bar. Quickly scanning the room for Gwen, as if he half expected her to have vanished within the last couple of minutes, he sighed in relief when he spotted her across the room, her cell phone held out in front of her as she continued the search for the shapeshifter. Resisting the urge to go to her side, he reminded himself that the sooner they finished this case the sooner he could get her some place safe. Not to mention it always seemed to displease her when he hovered over her while they were on the job. She insisted on being treated like an equal since he wouldn't "baby Sam and Dean that way," as she put it. However, Rogziel was a completely different matter and Cas didn't want him anywhere near her or the Winchesters.

As an angel of Heaven, it was Rogziel's responsibility to punish angels who disobeyed orders. Rogziel was known for his brutal punishments therefore, not many angels chose to ignore the laws. Nevertheless, every once in a while, an angel would decide to take a risk on the off chance they wouldn't get caught.

Only once had Cas witnessed how terrible Rogziel could be. Several eons ago, a member of another garrison was caught with a human woman. He was sent to bring the angel back to Heaven for questioning but Rogziel had gotten there first. Walking inside the woman's home, Cas found them. The angel had been trapped in a circle of holy fire, his body slumped to the ground with an angel blade sticking out of his chest where it had been expertly thrown. The additional wounds on his body showed that he had been tortured before being confined by the holy fire. In front of the dead angel lay the woman. Her body was bloody and broken with a long, deep gash still bleeding red across her abdomen. The woman had been pregnant with a half angel, half human child, a Nephilim. Kneeling down, Cas swept his hand over her eyes, closing them.

Shaking his head, Castiel brought himself back to the present. He would not let anything happen to Gwen but first they had to find this shapeshifter. Glancing around the room, he caught Sam and Dean running out the front door. Rushing over to where he last saw Gwen, he found her near the bar. Grabbing her hand, he pointed toward the front door and both of them pushed and shoved their way toward it.

Once they were outside, they glanced up and down the street. "Which way do you think they went?" she asked, looking up at him. Before he could answer, they heard a gunshot about a block and a half away. "Damn, they're fast," Gwen said as they sprinted toward the sound.

Rounding the corner, Cas saw that Dean and Sam had managed to trap the shapeshifter against the side of a large, abandoned building but as they ran forward to help, it pushed its way through and was now heading straight for him and Gwen. Just as it started to turn into another alleyway, Gwen grabbed her gun and aimed it at the back of the monster. Firing, the silver bullet landed right in the shapeshifter's heart. It staggered a few more steps before falling on its face.

Tucking her gun back into the shoulder holster that was carefully concealed beneath her jacket, Gwen started to move toward the body to get started on the cleanup but stopped when Cas touched her shoulder. "Gwen, we have to get back to the bunker. Now," he said almost urgently.

"What are you talking about, Cas?" she asked, confused. "We can't just leave the body here."

Running his hands through his hair, Cas replied, "I know. I know, but we need to hurry and get back as soon as possible."

"What's the hurry?" Dean smirked as he and Sam reached them in time to hear part of their conversation. "You got an itch you need to scratch?" he continued as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Looking at Cas's troubled expression, Gwen could tell something was wrong. Elbowing Dean in the side, she asked, "Cas, what happened? What's wrong?" Dean sobered up instantly.

Looking at each of them in turn, he replied, "I received a visit while we were in the bar." Castiel reported that Inias had appeared to him while they were searching for the shapeshifter and that the angel of punishment, Rogziel, was searching for him.

"But why is he looking for you?" Gwen wondered anxiously as she took his hand. Sam and Dean glanced around, making sure no one was coming toward them since the body of the shapeshifter was still lying at the mouth of the alley.

Now Cas looked at her. Just her. Staring into his eyes, Gwen could see just how concerned he was. "Because I'm with you. Angels are forbidden to be physical with humans. Rogziel is probably looking for you also. I've seen the terrible things he can do and he's not beyond killing an innocent human."

Seeing the pained look in his eyes, Gwen finally understood. It wasn't concern for himself that he was feeling. He was terrified for her. Squeezing his hand, she said, "It'll be ok. We'll figure it out. There has to be something we can do." She'd tried to sound positive but it must not have been very convincing because, although he gave her a small smile, the worry never left his eyes.

Suddenly, Sam said, "Cas, take Gwen back to the bunker. Both of you stay there and wait for us. We'll clean up here." Dean nodded his agreement.

"But, Sam…," Gwen started to object but Dean cut her off.

"Gwen, this douche is looking for Cas and possibly you. The best thing to do is get back to the bunker where both of you will be safe until we can figure this thing out. Now, for once, don't argue with us and get your endangered ass home."

She started to argue, but seeing the looks on her brothers' faces, Gwen knew she'd never win. She crossed her arms stubbornly but sighed in defeat. "Fine." With that, Cas took her hand and they disappeared, traveling back to the bunker.

Once inside, Cas sank into one of the chairs, his head in his hands. Her annoyance at being sent home vanished instantly. Gwen knelt in front of her boyfriend and took his hands. "Gwen, I am so, so sorry. No one has seen Rogziel since before the fall. If I had known he was still alive, I wouldn't have…" he stated forlornly.

"Hey. Hey," she interrupted. "This asshole could be nowhere near close to locating you and you're talking like he's at the front door. We will figure something out. Together. Just like we always do."

"You don't know what he's like, Gwen," Cas replied miserably, looking at her intently as he tried to convince her of the severity of their situation. "He's ruthless and cruel. If he finds you, he will not hesitate to kill you or Sam and Dean. And I will not let that happen." Moving her gently aside, he stood up and paced around the room.

Gwen watched him, not sure what to say. She wanted to help him but she didn't know how. She wanted to tell him she would be fine and that he needed to be concerned about himself. It was him that Rogziel was looking for after all, not her specifically.

Suddenly, Cas was in front of her, grasping her shoulders. "Will you do something for me?" he asked desperately, an almost hopeful light in his eyes.

"Of course," she replied without hesitation. If this would help Cas, there was no way she would refuse. She'd go to Hell and back if that's what it took.

"Will you allow me to carve Enochian sigils on your ribs? Like I did for Dean and Sam?" he asked, his grip getting a little tighter. "Please? It will help hide you from Rogziel."

Having something carved on her ribs didn't exactly make her list of top ten things to do but there was no way she was going to tell him no. After pausing for just a second, she replied, "Ok. Let's do it."

Cas had her sit down in the chair he had occupied a few moments earlier. "This is going to hurt," he warned. Gwen nodded and gritted her teeth. Looking her in the eyes, Cas gently put his hand on her chest.

Then the pain hit. Searing pain flared up through her body, feeling like someone was injecting magma into her bones. Cas was finished within a few seconds but she was still gripping the armrests of her chair afterward, her knuckles white from holding on so tight. Gently, Cas took her hands in his and kissed her. "Thank you," he whispered, touching his forehead to hers.

Smiling, Gwen stood up, the pain already just a dull throb. "So Dean and Sam will be back sometime tomorrow and we'll get started on figuring out a plan. But right now, I seriously need some sleep."

Leading him into the bedroom, Gwen discarded her jacket, shoes, and holster. She flopped onto their bed, not even bothering to change her clothes. Cas climbed in after her, pulling her onto his chest.

Tilting her chin up, he kissed her long and slow. "I love you so much," he said, looking into her hazel eyes.

Smiling, Gwen placed her hand on the side of his face and replied, "I love you too, Cas." Snuggling into his side, she laid her head back down on his chest and closed her eyes. As Cas ran his fingers through her hair, Gwen's breathing got heavier and heavier until, finally, she drifted off.

Cas held Gwen while she slumbered peacefully. She'd been asleep for hours now. Glancing back down at her sweet face, he continued to think of Inias's warning. Gwen had let him carve sigils onto her ribs but would that really be enough to keep Rogziel at bay? As he looked at his sleeping girlfriend, all he could see was that poor human woman who had been tortured and killed at Rogziel's hand. He would not let that happen to Gwen. He would die first.

Carefully, he laid Gwen on her pillow and slid out of bed. Putting his hand on the doorknob, he stopped. He turned and glanced around the bedroom they had shared for ten wonderful months. His eyes fell on a picture that was on the nightstand. Sam had taken it a couple weeks after he and Gwen had started dating. They were smiling and happy and already completely crazy about each other. Walking back over, he slid the photo out of its frame and put it in his pocket. Looking at Gwen, he bent and kissed her for the last time.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." He walked silently back to the door. "I love you," he whispered as he closed the door quietly.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam pushed open the door of the bunker as he and Dean dragged their duffel bags inside. It had taken them several hours to get from Dallas back to their home in Lebanon. It was late, he was exhausted, not to mention his long legs cramped from being in the Impala so long. Not seeing anyone in the immediate vicinity, he called out, "Gwen! Cas! We're here!" No one answered. Sam glanced at his brother and could see that he was uneasy as well. Pulling out their guns, they quietly made their way through the bunker, checking all the rooms. Sam reached Gwen and Cas's bedroom first. Turning the knob slowly, he pushed on the door and stepped inside.

He wasn't sure what he expected but finding Gwen sitting in front of her closet, hugging her knees with her head down, was not it. Rushing over to his sister, he said, "Gwen. What happened? What's wrong? Dean! I found her!"

Gwen jerked her head up, like she hadn't known Sam was there. Her eyes were dry but her expression was so dejected that Sam wasn't reassured. As Dean rushed into the room, Gwen replied, "He's gone. Cas is gone."

"What do you mean he's gone?" Dean inquired as he knelt on the other side of her. "That angel douche bag got him?"

Shaking her head quickly, she answered, "No, no. Last night, he was so worried about this Rogziel finding all of us. I tried to reassure him but it wasn't working. Then all of a sudden, he seemed so hopeful. He told me if I let him carve some sigils on my ribs that it would make it harder for the angel to find me. So I let him. That seemed to give him some peace of mind so I thought he would be fine until you guys got back. We went to bed but when I woke up this morning, he was gone. I've tried praying to him but he's not answering. What if he turned himself over? What if he's already…" Gwen raked her hands through her blonde hair.

"Gwen, Cas has disappeared before," Dean said trying to encourage her. "We've gone for months without hearing from him and the bastard always pops back up, usually with a semi-good explanation."

"But what if this is different? You didn't see how he was acting last night," Gwen whispered. "He was certain that Rogziel would kill all of us if he found us. I should have known he would try something. If he gets himself killed, it will be all my fault."

Sam took one of her hands as he said, "This is not your fault. Cas probably figured you would be safer if he was gone. I'm sure he's ok."

Gwen nodded slowly. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she said, "I think I'm just going to shower and go to bed. I'm sure you guys are worn-out."

As she stood up and made her way to the door, Sam called out to her, "Gwen, it's going to be okay. He'll turn up."

A few days later, Gwen walked into the library with a newspaper in her hand. "I think I found us a case," she said as she laid the paper out on the table. "A guy named Brian Davincent was found dead in his apartment on Saturday. His roommate told police that he had gone on a date earlier that evening and returned home around 9:00. Time of death is around midnight."

"Doesn't sound like our kind of thing," Dean said as he sipped his bourbon. "Sounds more like the roommate did it."

Gwen shook her head. "Roommate worked nightshift at some factory. Said he left for work around 9:30 and didn't get home until 7:00 A.M. When he got home, he discovered his friend on their couch with his throat cut wide open. There's also been at least five other deaths like this one in the last two months. All the victims were found in their homes with their throats slit. No signs of forced entry."

"Wouldn't hurt to check it out," Sam said as he slid the paper closer. "Where are the killings happening?"

"A few hours away in El Dorado. I'll go grab my stuff," Gwen replied as she started to walk out of the room.

"Whoa, whoa," Dean said, holding up on hand. "You think you're coming? Gwen, there's a psychotic angel who is hunting your boyfriend and possibly you. No, your ass needs to stay here until this dick is taken care of. Sam and I can handle this one."

"I can't just stay locked up in here forever, Dean. I've got those sigils. I'll be safe enough," Gwen said as she faced her brother. Glancing at Sam, she could see that he agreed with Dean. Great. Winning over one stubborn ass brother was hard enough. Now she had to convince them both. Crossing her arms, she decided the truth was her best option. "Look, I can't stay behind. Sitting here, all I can think about is Cas. I am constantly worrying if he's alright or even alive. If I have to sit here for another day with nothing to distract me, I'm going to go insane." She looked from one to the other before finally settling on the oldest. "Dean, please," she whispered.

Sighing, Dean sat back in his chair in defeat, "Damn it. Fine. Go get your stuff." Gwen gave him a small smile of gratitude as she left the library.

A few hours later, they were in El Dorado and heading to the police station. Sam had dozed off but when Dean glanced in the rearview mirror he could see that Gwen was still awake. Why had he let her come? Oh. That's right. Whenever she turned those big hazel eyes on him, neither he nor Sam for that matter could resist for very long. Especially when it was something she was passionate about.

He'd been watching his sister carefully over the past few days and found that she was very good at hiding her emotions. After the evening he and Sam had come home from Dallas, she'd started acting as if everything was fine which, among the Winchesters, usually meant that they were suppressing a crap ton of feelings. So, he discreetly watched her and every now and then, when she thought no one could see, her guard would slip a little, allowing Dean to see how much she was hurting. But almost as soon as it happened, she'd throw the walls back up and then everything seemed normal. So when she told them that she had to get out of the bunker, he could see that she was telling the truth. Leaving her at the bunker alone would have been worse than taking her with them.

Reaching over, he punched Sam in the shoulder. "Sammy. Wake up. We're here." He had just pulled the Impala into the parking lot when Gwen hopped out.

"I got this. Be back in just a minute," she said as she walked toward the station, straightening her suit jacket as she went.

As she disappeared inside, Sam said, "She sure is in a hurry. Think we made the right decision?" Both boys got out of the Impala and stretched.

Looking toward the station, Dean replied, "Yeah, I do."

A few minutes later, Gwen came back out carrying a stack of papers. "Well, here we go. Copies of all the reports of the last five murders. The roommate happened to be inside filling out some paperwork. He said the one thing he didn't tell the police was that Brian had brought home a silver comb. Said the girl he had gone out with had left it in his car. When he left for work the comb had been on the end table but after he got home, it was gone."

"So you think the comb has something to do with Brian's death?" Sam inquired, pulling his dad's journal out of his bag and starting to flip through the pages.

Gwen nodded. "Did John ever come across a banshee? Legend says that banshees are spirits who have been known to leave their silver comb in places for anyone to find. If someone picks it up, the banshee will come for them at midnight and kill them."

Sam continued to flip through the journal before placing his finger on one page. "Right here. Looks like Dad came across one when he first started hunting. He wrote that banshees can appear as an old hag or a beautiful woman with long pale hair. The only way to kill one is to burn her comb and then stab her in the heart."

Dean, who had been browsing the police reports, said, "The last three guys who were killed all went to same bar just a day or two before getting offed. Wonder if the cops bothered to check that one out?"

"We better find a hotel and get you two cleaned up. Hopefully one of you will have a date with a banshee," Gwen smirked.

"Not exactly the kind of action I was hoping to get," Dean retorted as they climbed back into the car. "And since when do you get to pimp us out?"

Gwen nearly bounced off her chair in anticipation, a clear sign that she was a little too keyed up. Her brothers had cleaned up very nicely and were now making their way through the bar hoping the banshee would show up tonight. Smiling to herself, Gwen took another drink of her beer. Sam's mindset had been all business. He knew they were on a case and this thing needed to be put down. Dean's mindset, however, was a bit more playful. He never needed much encouragement when it came to flirting with women.

All of sudden, a gorgeous woman walked into the bar. She was tall, thin, and wore a short black dress. Long, pale hair trailed down her back. Pulling out her cell phone, Gwen text her brothers. _Hottie at the door? _

Glancing up, she saw that Sam and Dean had both noticed the woman who was now making her way to the bar. She sat down just a few seats away from Gwen, putting her purse on the chair between them. Within a few minutes, Dean sauntered over and sat down on the new comer's other side and immediately engaged her in conversation. The woman turned slightly so that her back was to Gwen. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gwen peeked over in her purse. Sure enough, just inside was large, silver comb. Glancing over at Dean, she winked subtly.

The bar was a little too loud for Gwen to hear what Dean was saying but he was obviously very skilled at this. Every time the woman laughed, she'd place her slender hand on Dean's knee and lean in a little closer. About thirty minutes later, she stood up to leave. As she grabbed her purse, she leaned over and kissed Dean on the cheek before flouncing out the door.

Looking down, Gwen noticed the silver comb was now laying in the chair that had just a moment ago been empty. Dean grabbed it, motioned for Sam and Gwen to follow him, and went outside. The lady was nowhere to be seen.

Holding up the comb, Dean laughed. "Got it," he said proudly. "So now we burn it and wait at the hotel for the bitch?"

"Yes," Gwen answered, rolling her eyes. "She should show up around midnight which is in…an hour so we need to get going."

"What? No congratulations?" Dean pouted as he opened the car door.

Gwen reached up and patted his cheek. "Yes, your ability to flirt and beguile women was excellent. Now let's go," she said sarcastically.

Almost hour later, Gwen and Sam sat in the Impala waiting for any sign of the banshee. The charred remains of the silver comb were in a trashcan a few blocks away. Feeling Sam's eyes on her, Gwen asked, "What's on your mind, Sam?"

He took a deep breath before asking, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, of course," she replied still looking out the windshield toward their room.

"Look, I know you're trying to act like nothing is wrong," he said, apparently not taking her word for it. "But take it from someone who knows, talking about it is a lot better than dealing with it yourself. Trust me. Dean and I have been down this road many, many times."

Sighing, Gwen finally met his eyes. Trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over, she whispered, "I can't talk about it, Sam. If I start, I'm afraid I'll never stop. Now, there are people out here who need my help. I can't sit around feeling sorry for myself. I'm a hunter. Putting my feelings aside and getting the job done is what I do. I refuse to curl up in a ball of misery and be of no use to anyone." Taking a deep breath, she smiled a little and continued, "I'm fine. Really."

Squeezing her hand, Sam gave her a half smile before turning his eyes back to the room. "Look!" he said pointing to the door of their hotel.

Jerking her head back around, Gwen saw the banshee standing at the hotel door. Placing her hand on the door, it gently opened, allowing her to step inside without being heard. The door closed behind her.

"Come on," Sam said as he opened his door and walked to the room. Grabbing her knife, Gwen followed.

Just as they reached the door, they heard a crash from inside the room. Grabbing the doorknob, Sam pushed on the door but it didn't budge. Gwen snatched the keycard out of her pocket and quickly swiped it.

Shoving open the door, they found Dean pushed up against the wall with the banshee's hands around his throat. Sam lunged at her but as one hand let go of Dean, she stretched the other out, sinking her razor sharp nails into his chest before throwing him to the floor. Gwen ran forward, knife drawn. The banshee smiled cruelly before letting Dean drop to the floor. Then, raising one of her stiletto heels, she kicked Gwen right in the stomach, sending her flying backward. "You'll never win, my dear," she said as she flicked her hand, sending both boys to the wall behind her where they hung as if suspended on hooks. "First, I'm going to kill them and then I'm going to kill you. However, I'll give you one chance to get out."

Standing back up, Gwen looked at the banshee with quiet rage. All the pent up frustration she'd been feeling started to bubble to the surface. She thought of Cas. She didn't know if he was alive or dead. All she knew was that he had left her. For days, she'd worried and prayed hoping that Cas would at least let her know he was ok. But nothing. For some reason, he couldn't be bothered to tell her that he was alive. Then she thought about Rogziel, who was the whole cause of her misery. He had turned her world upside down and the bastard wasn't even here for her to take out her anger on. Looking at the smug smile on the banshee's face just served to piss her off even more. Well, this bitch was the next best thing.

Twirling her knife through her fingers, Gwen smirked and replied, "Not a chance." Slowly, she walked forward.

The banshee's smiling face turned furious. "Have it your way," she said as she slashed her nails at Gwen.

Quickly, Gwen sidestepped out of the way, bringing her knife up. She just grazed the banshee's arm, dark spots of blood trickling down her forearm.

Seeing the blood on her arm, the banshee jerked her head up. "What have you done?" she asked menacingly.

Gwen smiled. "I take it you haven't noticed that your comb is missing? You know, you really shouldn't leave your accessories lying around."

The banshee's face turned a dark shade of red. Looking murderously at Gwen, she flung her hand out, hitting Gwen solidly in the chest and sending her flying back into the bed. Turning toward Sam and Dean, she said, "Fools. All I need to do is kill the one who took the comb in the first place and it will be restored to me."

Standing in front of Dean, the banshee raised her hand, ready to plunge it into Dean's chest. Just as she was about to strike, Gwen tackled her from the side, sending both of them tumbling to the floor. Rolling on top, Gwen raised her knife and stabbed the banshee in the heart. With a final shrill scream, the banshee lay still. Adrenalin pumping and rage churning inside her, Gwen brought her knife down again, again, and again. With every blow, she became angrier. She knew she needed to stop. The banshee was dead. She needed to stop right now, but she couldn't. She kept going until she felt strong arms wrap around her and drag her off the body.

"Gwen! It's ok! You got her! It's over!" She heard Sam's voice like it was coming through a tunnel. Slowly, the roar in her ears died down and she was breathing heavily, Sam's arms still wrapped around her like a vice.

Gradually, he loosened his grip and turned Gwen around so he could look at her face. Dean was kneeling beside her, her knife in his hand. She couldn't bring herself to look at either one of them.

"I'm sorry," she said as she stood up and walked out of the room.

Outside, the cool air helped to clear her head. Running her hands through her hair, she paced around the parking lot before taking a deep breath and sitting down on the sidewalk. A little while later, she heard her brothers' footsteps as they came over and sat down on either side of her.

"Wanna talk about it?" Dean asked, glancing over at her.

Brushing away a single tear that had managed to escape, Gwen shook her head. "I'll be fine."


	8. Chapter 8

_Thump….Thump thump…Thump_

Dean sat up and rubbed his eyes. Looking at his clock, he could see it was 1:30 in the morning. Who the hell was even up? Climbing out of bed and pulling on a pair of sweatpants, he padded out into the hallway.

_Thump thump…Thump…Thump thump_

Following the noise, Dean found himself in the room they had turned into a sort of gym. There, wearing shorts and a black tank top, strands of her hair falling out of its ponytail, was Gwen. It was the sound of her tiny fists slamming into their punching bag that had woken him. Leaning against the door frame, Dean continued to watch as she pounded and kicked the bag violently. She never noticed he was there.

Standing there, Dean thought about the past two months. Gwen hadn't had another rage induced stabbing incident but something still wasn't quite right. If she was at the bunker for more than a couple days, she grew restless and she was constantly on the lookout for new cases. With each new job, she became a more aggressive hunter. He and Sam had woken up one morning to find her gone. Leaving a note, she had explained that she had found a case and would be home in a couple days. Not knowing where she went, all they could do was sit at the bunker and twiddle their thumbs until she finally got back. Luckily, that hadn't happened again.

Dean thought he understood though. To deal with the rage and pain of Cas leaving, she threw herself into the job and pretended nothing was wrong. She was definitely a Winchester.

Something red caught Dean's eye. Looking at the floor, he could see tiny spots of blood. As he shifted his position, he could see that Gwen's knuckles were cut and bleeding just enough to start dripping on the floor but she didn't seem to notice. Instead, she continued to slam her fists into the offending bag. Worried she might really damage her hands, Dean walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. Luckily, he had grown accustomed to his sister being so insanely focused the last few weeks so when she turned around with her fist flying toward his face he was prepared. Turning slightly, he grabbed her wrist and held it in midair.

As he glanced down, Dean noticed her face for the first time. Eyes red and face tear streaked, Gwen looked absolutely miserable. Looking back at him, she didn't even try to hide her emotions or make excuses for why she was in here pounding away at the punching bag at 1:30 in the morning. For the first time in weeks, he could clearly see the agony in her face.

Before he could say anything however, she withdrew her wrist. Hands balled up into shaking fists at her side, she looked down and whispered, "Today's our anniversary. It's been one year. We're supposed to be celebrating together. We should be going out to dinner, drinking with you guys, and…and we should be… But we're not... Because he's not here."

As she continued, her voice quivered with anger and hurt, "I've prayed to him every damn day. He's never appeared or even sent me a fucking message just letting me know he's ok. That's all I want! I just want to know if he's ok! Is that too much to fucking ask for?"

Dean couldn't take it anymore. He and Sam had watched Gwen shove her feelings down for weeks and had tried to give her some space but that was clearly not what she needed right now, even if she didn't know it herself. Grabbing her shoulders, he crushed her to him in a big hug. She wrapped her arms around him as fresh tears streamed down her face. Eventually, he could feel Gwen begin to calm down as her breathing slowed and the tears stopped. Putting his arm around her shoulders, he led her out of the gym and to the small table in the kitchen.

Grabbing the peroxide and bandages, Dean sat down across from Gwen and noticed Sam standing in the doorway, arms crossed and a concerned expression on his face.

"Dean," Gwen mumbled as he fixed up her knuckles. "What if he never comes back? What am I supposed to do?"

Unexpectedly, Dean's mind went to Lisa and Ben, the closest thing he'd ever had to a wife and son. He hadn't seen them in so long but even now, after all this time, remembering them still caused his heart to ache. Even if he went back to them, they would never remember who he was, but they were safe. He'd comforted himself with that knowledge for a long time.

Looking at Gwen, he replied, "You're going to be strong. You're going to get on with your life. And you're going to take it one day at a time."

As Dean went back to work with the bandages, Sam walked over and pulled his chair close beside Gwen. Leaning over, he gently kissed the top of her head and took the already bandaged hand. The three of them sat in comforting silence.

A few weeks, later, Gwen found herself standing with Sam and Dean in a high school gym in Fresno, California. Teenagers had been dying left and right and no one could explain why. Turns out, mild mannered Biology teacher Mr. Jeralds had been hijacked by a demon and was slipping students lethal drugs that were supposed to solve all their problems. Need help on a test? Having girlfriend/boyfriend troubles? Problems at home? Take this magic pill that helps you focus, makes you more relaxed, blah blah blah. Students who were desperate for help didn't bother to question a beloved teacher.

"_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas," _Sam chanted while the demon struggled to hold onto his meat suit. Writhing in the chair, the demon's black eyes looked at Sam with pure hatred as he continued. "_Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos!" _he finished as the demon spewed from the poor Biology teacher it had possessed for weeks.

Arms crossed, Gwen stared at the awful sight before her. Suddenly, the body stirred. He couldn't be alive. Demons were not gracious to their hosts and this demon had been no exception. When he moved again, Gwen quickly ran to his side. Gently lifting his head, she watched as Mr. Jeralds's eyes fluttered open.

"Is it gone?" his raspy voice whispered.

Smiling as sweetly as she could at the dying man, Gwen nodded her head and said, "Yes, everything's going to be alright. Just close your eyes and rest."

Mr. Jeralds closed his eyes as he sighed with relief. "Thank you," he managed before he was completely still and stirred no more.

Gwen let his head rest on his chest once more as she stood up straight. "I know it's a job hazard but I hate it when we lose people," she said as shook her head sullenly. "We got rid of the demon but weren't in time to save the man."

"I know, but we did save countless other lives," Sam encouraged.

Nodding her agreement, Gwen said, "I'll go grab the alcohol out of the trunk and clean the devils trap off the floor. Be back in a minute." Taking the side double doors to the parking lot, she walked to the Impala that was parked just outside.

The cool air outside felt good, especially after battling a demon in the hot gym. Taking a deep breath to clear her head, she opened the trunk. Just as she was reaching for the alcohol, an unfamiliar voice behind her said, "Hello, Gwen Stevens."

Startled, she spun around. Standing in front of the doors she had just exited were two men she'd never seen before. One was extremely tall, dark skinned, and clean shaven. He was the more muscular of the two. The other was slightly shorter, pale, and had long blonde hair that had been slicked back. Although he thinner, his wiry frame suggested speed was not an issue.

"Who are you?" she questioned, trying to figure out a way to grab a weapon from the trunk without being obvious.

"Names are not necessary," the blonde one replied. "You need only know that Rogziel has demanded your presence and you will come with us."

At the mention of that name, Gwen felt panic rise inside of her but she quickly squelched it. Keeping her voice steady but not being able to help the tinge of anger, she looked Blondie in the eyes and said, "Where is Castiel?"

Blondie and Gigantor glanced at each other but before they could answer, something started pounding against the gym doors causing them to turn. While they were distracted, Gwen twisted around and grabbed the two angel blades that Cas had given them long ago. As they returned their attention back to her, she readied her blades.

"I'm not going anywhere with you douchebags," she said menacingly.

"Don't be foolish," Blondie chuckled as they lowered blades of their own and started to walk toward her. "You might be able to kill one of us but certainly not both. You **will** go to Rogziel."

"Hey, assbutt."

Cockiness gone, the angels turned around, allowing Gwen to see who was behind them. "Castiel," she whispered, eyes wide.

Before any emotions had time to register, the angels struck. Blondie went for Cas while Gigantor came toward her. Circling herself closer to Cas, Gwen blocked an oncoming blow with one blade, slashing toward the angel's stomach with the other. He jumped back just in time to avoid getting cut. Gwen continued to make sure her movements took her closer to Cas. Although he had no trouble holding his own without a weapon, he'd need one of the angel blades to be able to kill Blondie. As if reading her mind, Cas methodically inched his way toward her while dodging the blade of the other angel. Once he was close enough, she tossed one of her blades toward him. Working like a well-oiled machine, they fought together. Dodging, hacking, pivoting, and stabbing, they defended each other. Soon, Gwen and Cas stood back to back.

Cas's blade locked with Gigantor's. Pushing with all his might, Cas flung the giant angel backward. Gwen quickly ducked as Blondie swung his blade toward her face, leaving himself wide open when he missed. Taking advantage, Cas twisted around and shoved his own blade under the angel's chin. Bright light flashed as he fell, the blade still in his head.

Barreling toward them, Gigantor raced toward Cas's back with his blade raised. Turning around just in time, Cas grabbed his arm and spun, wrenching the other angel's arm behind his back. Standing up, Gwen drove her blade into his heart causing his eyes to blaze white.

Suddenly, the gym door burst open as Sam and Dean stumbled out. Rushing to them, Gwen said, "Are you guys ok?"

"Yeah, those douche bags just sealed the whole damn gym and we couldn't get out," Dean answered. It was then that they both noticed Cas standing in the parking lot. "Cas?"

"Dean. Sam," Cas said before turning his eyes on Gwen. "Hello, Gwen," he said with a half-smile.

_God, she is beautiful. _Cas thought as he stared at his girlfriend. He should've thought of something better to say than hello but he wasn't really sure what to say. He'd missed her so much and all he wanted to was to take her in his arms.

Finally, she started to walk toward him. This is it. They were finally going to be reunited. She was almost there. He could imagine how good her lips would taste on his. How soft her skin was.

_**BAM!**_

She punched him right in the jaw. Dumbfounded, all he could do was gape at her with huge eyes.

"You feathery assed bastard!" she screamed. "Do you have any idea what you put me through?"

"Umm…" he started to say. Mistake.

"Shut up!" she yelled at him. He glanced at Dean and Sam, who were both wide eyed and shaking their heads vehemently, and then looked back at Gwen as she continued. "You fucking left me in the middle of the fucking night! Do you know what that felt like? To wake up and have the person you love gone? Let me tell you, you tend to flip your shit! I haven't heard from you in three damn months! I didn't know if you were alive or hurt. You could have been fucking dead and I wouldn't ever know! You just left me to deal with all that shit! I was going insane! What the hell is wrong with you, Castiel?" Taking both of her small hands, she shoved him and then started to pound her fists against his chest. "And then, you just show up and all you can fucking say is 'Hello, Gwen'!"

Tears had started to flow down her cheeks. He looked into her rage filled eyes and could see all the pain she had felt in his absence. Guilt and shame filled him. He never meant to hurt her. He was only trying to keep her safe.

Just as she pulled her arm back to punch him again, Cas moved in, grabbed her face, and kissed her solidly on the mouth. He poured all his remorse and longing into that kiss. Slowly, he felt the anger seep out of her as her hands dropped to her sides. Letting go of her, he stepped back and whispered, "Gwen, I am so sorry."

More tears came as she looked at him. All at once, her face crumpled and she threw her arms around him and kissed him back.

Holding her tightly, he pulled back long enough to say, "I love you, Gwen Stevens."

Gwen smiled at him. "I love you too. Don't you ever leave me again."

"Never," he replied as he kissed her once more.


	9. Chapter 9

Gwen stood near the Impala with Cas, the blue lights of police cars not far away. Digging out their "FBI" badges, Dean and Sam had walked over to see what had happened. After they had cleaned up the gym and gotten rid of the angel bodies in California, the four of them had hopped in the Impala and started the long drive back to the bunker. About halfway home, construction work had caused them to detour through this town and when they saw all the police cars and flashing lights they had decided to check it out.

Cas moved closer and put his arm around her, kissing the side of her head as he did so. Snuggling into his side, she had to smile. Words could not begin to describe how happy she was to have him back. She'd missed him so much. However, when he offered to teleport her home, she panicked a little. The last time they were at the bunker alone, she had woke up to find him gone. She didn't want to say or do the wrong thing and cause him to leave again so she was a little apprehensive about being completely alone with him. She knew she was just being paranoid and that, hopefully, that paranoia would go away soon, so she simply told him that maybe they should stay together this time in case something happened, which, judging by the looks on Sam and Dean's faces as they made their way back over, it looked like something had definitely happened.

"They found a dude on the river bank. Looks like he drowned," Dean explained. "Cops said that's like the seventh guy in the last two months and, like the other six, they found a pack of matches in his pocket from this exotic bar called The Blue Moon, which is just a few blocks from here."

"If this guy is like the others, he's married and his wife has no idea that he's been going there," Sam continued.

"So this spirit or whatever is drowning men who are unfaithful?" Gwen asked. "Any ideas of what it might be?"

Sam thought for moment and then grabbed his computer out of the car "All the victims were drowned in the same river right after leaving the strip club. Drowning sounds like something a Siren might do but I'm not sure why a Siren would only target unfaithful men," he answered while he searched for something on his laptop. Pulling up a file he had saved, he quickly scanned over it. "Here it is. Lorelei was a beautiful German maiden who threw herself into a river in despair of a faithless lover. Upon her death, her anguished spirit became a Naiad who now seeks out unfaithful men and lures them to their death with her voice. If Lorelei is here, then she could be one of the exotic dancers. It would be the perfect setup."

"Does it say how to kill her?" Cas wondered as he moved over to read more of the information on Sam's computer.

"Unfortunately, no," Sam replied. "I'll have to do some more digging. In the meantime, it would be really helpful if we could have a secret agent inside The Blue Moon." Dean and Sam both stared pointedly at Gwen, cocking their heads to one side. `

Looking from one to the other, Gwen finally understood what they wanted. "Oh hell no! No! No way! No, no, no, and **NO. **There is no way on this planet that you are getting me to become an exotic dancer. Absolutely not. I refuse."

Cas followed Dean to The Blue Moon. Sam had decided to do more research on how to kill Lorelei that evening so Cas was chosen to go with Dean to watch for anything suspicious. Cas had yet to see Gwen at her new job but he could tell this was one case she wished she wasn't a part of.

As they walked, Cas thought about Lorelei and there was just something he couldn't understand. "Dean," he said they rounded a corner, "why would anyone want to kill themselves over a lost love?"

Dean glanced over at his friend and was silent before finally answering, "Well, Cas, some people just can't cope when the person they love, for whatever reason, is no longer there."

Stopping in his tracks, Cas suddenly found the ground very interesting. Dean continued a few more steps before realizing Cas had stopped. "What's up?" he asked, his eyebrows raised quizzically.

Looking back up at Dean, his eyes full of concern, Cas wondered, "Did Gwen ever….. She didn't… Did she?"

"No. She was never really depressed just severely pissed off," Dean replied. Smirking, he added, "One time, I could tell she needed to let off a little steam so we sparred. Dude, I thought she was going to kill me. She jumped on my back like a freaking spider monkey and threw me to the floor."

Cas sighed with relief as he and Dean continued to walk. Suddenly, Dean shifted and stopped in front of him. "Cas, you're my friend but if you ever pull that shit again, I will track you down myself and kick your ass," he said seriously. Then, grinning, he pushed open a door on his left, "This is it. Let's go."

Stepping inside the dimly lit room, Cas blinked his eyes until they adjusted to the light. Looking around, he saw several men sitting at different tables, money in hand. Turning back to Dean, Cas saw that he had already started to make his way across the room so he decided to just grab a seat near front. Sitting down in an empty chair, he glanced about the room. There was a small stage with a short walkway that led to the raised platform with a long pole that reached the ceiling immediately in front of him. As he twisted around, he searched for Gwen but didn't see her anywhere.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed a little more and a spotlight shone on the stage. Fog poured from a machine somewhere behind a curtain. Loud music began to play. A smooth, tan leg peeked out from behind the curtain, slowly followed by the rest of the body. Cas's mouth dropped open. It was Gwen.

_ Oh. My. God. _

Staring at her bug eyed, Cas scanned her body as she sensuously walked toward the pole that was right in front of him. She was wearing black 8" heels which showed off the curves of her legs. Dragging his gaze upward, he paused, noticing the skintight outfit. Black material hugged her body, grazing over her shoulders, barely covering her breasts before connecting to the very tight black shorts. Silver studs decorated the material along the cut out sides and down the low V-neck cut of the top half. Her blonde hair fell down past her shoulders in soft curls. Planting her feet, she grasped the silver pole and swung herself around it slowly, turning her back toward Cas. He sucked in his breath sharply.

_Sweet mother of Christ._

There, attached to the back of her clothing, were feathery black angel wings. Coming back in front of him, she caught his eyes and smiled wickedly. Wrapping her legs around the pole, she began to inch her way up it slowly. Thrusting one leg forward, the other still wrapped around the pole, she leaned her body back letting her long hair trail toward the floor and slid down leisurely, her hands keeping a firm grip on the pole.

Cas couldn't breathe. All he could do was stare at his girlfriend ravenously. Grabbing the edge of his seat to keep himself from having her right there in front of everyone, he swallowed hard, trying to get some moisture in his parched throat. Did she have any idea the affect she was having on him? Suddenly, she was on her hands and knees crawling toward him. Unconsciously, he leaned forward as she reached the end of the platform. Stretching her hand out, she grabbed his tie and pulled him close to her face. Her mischievous eyes flickered toward his mouth as she licked her lips. Just as he was about to close the distance between them and kiss her, she released him and slid back, out of reach. She grinned at him impishly. Oh, she most certainly did know what she was doing to him. Cas could feel his desire for her growing. He needed to leave. Now.

"Holy Hell." He heard Dean's voice suddenly at his side said.

Glancing up, he saw Dean and Sam, who apparently had just gotten there. Both were about ten shades of red. As the song ended, Gwen left the stage followed by catcalls and whistles.

"I will never be able to un-see that," Dean said as he shivered. He looked down at Cas who was frozen in his chair, still staring at the stage. "Cas, you ok?" he chuckled as he nudged Cas in the shoulder.

Standing up quickly, Cas wrapped his trench coat around his body and said, "Excuse me." Rushing toward the door, he left Sam and Dean starring after him.

Walking up to her brothers, Gwen tapped them both on the shoulder. "What's up? Where's Cas?" she asked as they swiftly turned around.

Sam smiled teasingly as he answered, "I think Cas needed to step outside for minute. He looked a little…uncomfortable."

"He's not the only one. Eww," Dean shuddered. Both boys then proceeded to make gagging noises.

Punching them both in the arm, Gwen laughed and retorted, "Hey! Don't forget, this was your idea. I need some kind of gratification from being forced to do this. Grossing out you two assholes is just a bonus."

Rubbing his shoulder, Sam asked, "Do you have any leads here?"

Gwen, sobering up, answered, "Maybe. There's one girl who's been talking to the same married guy for three days, like she hasn't given anyone else a second glance. Everyone calls her Ivory but I broke into the records room last night and found out that her actual name is Laura."

"Very original," Dean interrupted, rolling his eyes.

Ignoring him, Gwen continued, "It says on her form that she started working here two months ago, just a few days before the murders started."

Just then, Cas returned and stood beside her. Looking over at him, she could see that his face was still flushed. He was trying awfully hard not to stare at her, which made Gwen smile.

"Sam says he found a way to off the bitch," Dean said, his voice trailing off as a tall brunette in a red bikini walked passed them. Silence followed as the three of them stared at Dean, waiting.

Sam snapped his fingers under Dean's nose and he continued like nothing had happened, "Apparently, we need to stab her with the rib of her last victim. The last guy has already been buried in the local cemetery so we just need to dig him up and hope this chick doesn't kill anyone else in the meantime."

"My shift is over in about an hour and a half," Gwen said thoughtfully. "Why don't you and Sam go get the rib bone and maybe Cas and I keep an eye on Laura over there?" The boys nodded their heads in agreement and headed for the door.

"I'll wait for you outside," she heard Cas say. As she turned toward him, she was not expecting him to suddenly grab her and pull her to him. He kissed her deeply, using one hand to gently tug on her loose hair and the other to caress the bare skin of her side that the outfit left exposed. A burst of desire coursed through her body. She slid her hands up his chest. She wanted more. Much, much more. All too quickly, he pulled away, leaving her breathing heavily. Gazing at her with those piercing blue eyes, he grinned teasingly.

"Hey, pal," the manager called loudly over to them. "Touching is extra."

Cas smirked at her once more before releasing her and walked outside.

Sam dug the shovel deeper into the ground. He and Dean had been at the cemetery for at least an hour. "Why do I always seem to be the one digging?" he said to Dean, who was standing at the top making sure no one saw them.

"Because you're the tallest," Dean retorted as he smirked down at Sam.

Leaning on the shovel, Sam drew his eyebrows down and said, "That doesn't make any sense, Dean."

"Never said it did," his brother replied as he turned back around. Sam started his shoveling again. "You almost done?"

_THUD _

"That answer your question?" Sam asked as he began to clear away the rest of the dirt so he could open the coffin lid. Suddenly, his phone began to ring. Smiling, he held up his cell and called up to Dean, "Looks like it's your job to get the rib."

"Son of a bitch," Dean grumbled as he hopped into the grave so Sam could answer his phone.

"What's up, Cas?" Sam asked as he sneered at his brother. Sam listened for a few seconds, his smile fading. "Ok. We're almost finished and we'll be there as soon as we can."

Hanging up, he turned back to Dean and said, "Laura and that guy left the club and are making their way to the river. Cas and Gwen are following them but we have to hurry."

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally had the rib and cleaned it off as best they could. Both boys climbed out of the grave but Dean grabbed the shovel. Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed the Impala's keys and tossed them to Sam. "Here. Take the rib to Cas and Gwen. I'll clean up here just in case anyone decides to come by," he said as he began to shovel dirt back onto the grave. As Sam dashed to the Impala, he heard Dean call out, "Be careful with her, Sam! Not a scratch!"

Sam hopped in the Impala and sped off back to the river, the rib laying in the passenger seat. Pedal pushed to the floor, he weaved between the few cars that were still on the road this late at night. Within a few minutes, Sam had the car parked and was racing down to the spot on the river where the last victim was found.

Rib in hand, he glanced around until he noticed Cas and Gwen struggling with someone who he assumed was Lorelei. He barreled toward them, tackling the Naiad from the side. Falling into the wet dirt, he rolled until he was straddling Lorelei. He raised the rib but before he could strike, Lorelei looked him in the eyes and whispered, "Attack them."

All of a sudden, he couldn't control himself. Eyes glazed over, Sam stood up immediately, dropping the rib. Turning, Gwen was the first he saw. He charged toward her but something intercepted him. Cas had grabbed him by the waist and slung him into the grass.

"Sam! Stop!" Cas cried, trying to pin his arms down but Sam was too fast. He shoved Cas off of him and stood up. He kicked Cas in the ribs before could stand up and turned to look for Gwen.

_**BAM**_

Something smacked him in the face. He fell back and lay in the grass, dazed.

"Sorry, Sam," Gwen said as she dropped a huge piece of driftwood. Turning back to where Sam had dropped the rib, she noticed Lorelei moving toward the unconscious bastard she had lured out here.

Glad that she had kicked off those damn heels, she ran back and dropped to her knees, searching for the rib. Lorelei had already begun to drag the man into to water. He'd be dead in a matter of minutes if she didn't hurry. Hands flying over the dirt, one of them touched something hard and smooth. Grasping it, she held it up in the moonlight. It was the rib. Jumping up, she ran into the water where the Naiad had inserted her victim's head into the water. Cas dashed in after her.

Reaching Lorelei first, Gwen grabbed a hand full of the Naiad's hair and jerked her head back, exposing her throat. Lifting the rib high into the air, she brought it down hard and plunged it into the base of her neck. Screeching, Lorelei let go of the drowning man, allowing Cas to grab him and drag him to shore. As she died, Lorelei slowly turned into foam before being washed away.

Gwen pushed her damp hair out of her face and went back to the river bank. Sam was now standing, trying to get his nose to stop bleeding.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, a little confused. "The last thing I remember is knocking the Naiad to the ground and getting ready to stab her. Then I'm lying in the grass with a bloody nose."

"Sorry about that," Gwen apologized, grimacing. "When you looked in Lorelei's eyes, she had the ability to influence your actions. Apparently, the legend forgot to mention that interesting little tidbit. She tried to do the same thing to Cas and me but I don't guess it works on angels or women."

Sam nodded his understanding as he finally managed to stop the bleeding. Castiel joined them, leaving the man from the bar lying drenched on the river bank. Nodding toward the man, he said, "He'll be fine. Perhaps now he'll learn adultery is not to be taken lightly."

"Douche," Gwen grumbled. Her eyes met Cas's. His gaze traveled down her body, making her feel warm inside. She was still wearing her "work clothes", except her heels and angel wings which were somewhere near the bar. He brought his eyes back up to hers, his expression making her blush. Glancing around to distract herself, she realized for the first time that someone was missing. "Sam, where's Dean?"

"Oh, I left him at the cemetery. Guess we should go get him," Sam replied as he started to walk back toward the Impala. Cas put a hand on his shoulder and whispered to him. Sam smiled and then continued back to the car.

Gwen began to follow him but Cas spun her around into his arms. Eyes wide, she stared up at him. Drops of water fell from his hair and the moonlight shone in his blue eyes. God he was beautiful. Slowly, his hand made its way to the back of her neck as he leaned down to kiss her. Gwen closed her eyes and stood on tip toe to meet him. As their lips met, she felt wind rustle around her.

Snapping her eyes open, she pushed back. They were at the bunker. Panic rose up inside of her. Wild eyed, she looked back at Cas and rushed, "What are we doing here? We need to get back. They might need our help or there might be another case or…"

Gently, Cas placed his hands on either side of her face, causing her to stop talking. Bending a little so he could look at her face, he said, "Gwen, its ok. I am never leaving you again. Never."

A small tear fell from one of her eyes but Cas brushed it away with his thumb, kissing her forehead. Looking up at him, Gwen could feel the panic start to fade and instead felt all of the longing of the past three months come to head.

Swinging her up into his arms, Cas carried her to her room. Their room. Gently, he placed her on the soft bed and shrugged out of his trench coat and shoes. Gwen breathed heavily as he placed his strong hands on the bed on either side of her face and looked down at her. Leaning down, he kissed her intensely, his hand running over the tight black material of her outfit. Desire stirred inside of her. She ran her hands through his dark hair, stopping to remove his tie. Slowly, his mouth moved along her jaw and down her neck, causing her body to arch into his. Cas sat up and removed his shirt as she ran her hands up his legs.

As he leaned back down, Gwen brushed her hands along his smooth chest and grasped behind his neck, pulling his mouth onto hers. He sat up again, sliding back a little so he could pull her up with him. Hands going to her shoulders, Cas began to remove her clothing. Laying her back down on the bed, he finished peeling off her outfit and threw it across the room. Gwen's chest heaved as Cas towered over top of her, staring at her hungrily. Descending, he began nibbling on her neck while his hands expertly memorized every inch of her. Tortuously, his hot kisses trailed down her body, one hand running up her thigh. Gasping, her body arched again.

"God," she whispered, causing Cas to look up at her and smile. Sitting up, she swiftly pulled him up and flipped him on his back so that she was straddling him.

Slowly, she undid the button and zipper, circling her hips methodically. She loved hearing his sharp intake of breath as she slid his pants off. She smiled at him mischievously as she played with the band of his boxers. Very very sluggishly, she pulled them off, kissing his hip bones and smiling when he fisted his hands into the sheets. Crawling back up, she pressed her body against his and kissed just below his ear making her way down his jaw. She had forgotten how good his large hands felt on her back as he pressed her even closer to him.

Flipping them back over, Cas brushed the hair out of her face and gripped it tightly. He looked deep into her eyes and Gwen's breathing became heavier until…

"Oh fuck!" she gasped. Grabbing Cas's hair, she pulled his mouth down onto hers roughly.

A few hours later, Gwen rested her head on Cas's chest, her blonde hair fanned out. She hugged him tightly as his fingers danced along her spine. Reaching down, he pulled what covers were left on the bed up and around them. Gwen's eyes began to close as he continued to rub her back. Tightening her grip on him, she sighed happily as she drifted off peacefully.


End file.
